So you bought a new set of wheels, or some wheel spacers, and now there isn't enough thread for the lug nuts to safely grab on to. I went through this same thing when I got my new wheels. I did quite a bit of research on the subject and wanted to share what I found.

This is the less time consuming option, but only gets you a few more threads worth to grab on to. That's all I needed so this is the option I ended up going with.

Extended-thread lug nuts look just like regular conical seat lugs, but have an extra shank below the seat that fits INSIDE the bolt holes on your rims. This effectively gives the lug nut an extra 0.30" of bite on the stud.

The E/T lug nuts I ended up going with were Gorilla Brand, 12x1.5" threads.

These are the "standard length" conical seat E/T lug nuts. Gorilla Part #68138

You can also get extended thread wheel locks from Gorilla, Part #68631N

One question that I know is going to come up is: Do these come in black? unfortunately, the answer is no. I have the chrome lugs on my black rims and I think it looks great.

2. Longer wheel studs

Before I found that using the E/T lugs would solve my particular issue, I looked into buying longer wheel studs. I found this very informative webpage at hunt4steve.com that outlines what part numbers you need, and gives tips for installation. http://www.hunt4steve.com/05TacoExtLn.html

Note: I take no credit for any of this writeup, all I did was copy and paste it from the Hunt4steve website to make it easier to access. I also have not done the installation myself so I can't really answer any specific questions about the install.

Hunt4Steve.com said:

For some reason, Toyota chose to put very short lug nuts on the front of the '05+ Tacoma. I guess Toyota didn't plan on their customers putting aftermarket wheels on their trucks.....short sighted in my opinion. This creates some what of a hazard when putting thick based aluminum wheels on these vehicles, such as the MotoMetal wheels I currently have. According to Dorman's website information, the rear wheel studs for the Tacoma are longer than the front wheel studs. I found on my vehicle that my rear studs were the same length as the front.

In looking for longer wheel studs, I wanted to go just a tab bit longer, but not excessive. I found that many people like to use the ARP wheel studs for a Lexus IS-300, PN # ARP 100-7715. These studs are very nice, very strong, and very pricey. For a set of 5 wheel studs, you will pay a little over $36 bucks at Summit Racing. Now, being that you will need to have at least 24 of these fine studs, you're going to pony up for 5 sets (5 lug nuts per set X 5 = 25, you only need 24 for your 4 wheels), which is about $181 bucks.​

In looking at the above wheel studs, you may think these are the ticket for your truck. But, I would not go with these, as they are too long to make the job easy. If you really feel that you need to have these longer wheel studs, you're going to either have to drill a hole in your Brake Rotor Dust Cover, or take apart the spindle to get these in. Look at the length of these studs, 2.6" as opposed to the stock 1.57". That's pretty long. So, I kept looking for the perfect set and found the ARP wheel studs:​

So, it appears that these will work very well, but again, the price. To get a set of these ARP studs, you getting close to $300 bucks. I suppose if you are racing, then these may what you want. But, for a mostly street rig with some occasional trail use, they are not necessary.​

So, in doing more research I found that a set of Dorman Wheel Studs from a 02-03 Toyota Corolla/Matrix would fit just right. ​

Take a close look at these numbers and compare them to the Tacoma numbers, everything is a match except for the length. They are about 1/2" longer, which is exactly what I need to compensate for the thicker centers on my aftermarket wheels. So, I found the only place in town that could get their hands on them and ordered them up. For 24 of these, I paid about $76 bucks.​

Here are the pictures I took of my work on the front wheel studs:​

Here you can see the significant different between the stock wheel stud and the 2003 Matrix wheel stud. ​

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Having the right size bolts really, really helps. The rotor was pretty much rusted in place, so these bolts and a little persuasion from a rubber mallet helped to pop the rotor off. ​

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Here is another shot of the old and the new, against a tape measure. If you look very close at the old wheel stud, you can see how many threads the lug nut was able to grab....not enough in my opinion. ​

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Here you can see how the new stud is being put into place. The six o'clock position was the only position where I had enough space to slip the new bolt into place. Any other position did not give me enough space. Any longer of a bolt and I think I would have had a difficult time. ​

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After using the method of a lug nut to pull one stud through, I felt it would be better to use a press. This Ball-Joint press did the job very nicely. ​

Here you can see the wheel studs in place, then the Brake Rotor in place

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For comparison, on the is the stock wheel stud with a lug nut removed. Notice there is very little thread for the lug nut to grab onto. On the right are the longer wheel studs, and a lug nut installed. ​

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June 13, 2009.​

I finally got around to installing the rear wheel studs. Based on Dorman's information of the rear wheel studs being longer than the front, I thought I was somewhat safe. However, in pulling off the rear studs, I quickly discovered that the rear studs were the same length as the fronts....not good.​

Again, being sure to have the correct size bolts in pulling off the drum is essential in getting to the studs.​

One of the rear wheel studs compared to the replacement. Note, there was not much thread holding the rear stud on.​

It should be noted that there is a backing plate behind the flange. When replacing the wheel studs, do them one at a time so you don't have to mess with a loose backing plate. ​

Here is the key spot where you can pop the studs out and put the replacements in WITHOUT having to remove any of the brake shoes.​

Close up shot of the key spot. ​

Due to the brake shoes being in the way, I was not able to get a ball-joint press behind the flange. So, I had to use a lug nut and some spacers to pull the stud through the flange. ​

Nearly done. ​

The drum is back on and ready for the tire. ​

I'm very pleased with this setup, and it didn't cost me too much money.​

Years ago I had a tire/wheel come off and pass me, slammed head on into a Ford Explorer full of kids and there mom. Insurance coverage and no one hurt,,thank god. Cheater lug nuts sheared the ends of the studs off (vibration/stress cracks,,then fail.)

Years ago I had a tire/wheel come off and pass me, slammed head on into a Ford Explorer full of kids and there mom. Insurance coverage and no one hurt,,thank god. Cheater lug nuts sheared the ends of the studs off (vibration/stress cracks,,then fail.)

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I fail to see how lug nuts with shanks would put any more stress on the studs. The TRD offroad rims come with shank and washer style lug nuts stock.

I've also never heard E/T lugs referred to as "cheaters". A google search of the phrase "cheater lug" revealed no relevant results.

I fail to see how lug nuts with shanks would put any more stress on the studs. The TRD offroad rims come with shank and washer style lug nuts stock.

I've also never heard E/T lugs referred to as "cheaters". A google search of the phrase "cheater lug" revealed no relevant results.

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TRD offroad rims are designed to work with shank and washer lugs, using the correct stud. In my case the lugs I was using were just grabbing the ends of the studs, they stretched and cracked.

Cheater lugs is a Pac NW redneck term that means E/T shank or cone seat, dual purpose. They have a thin nose when used on a cone seat wheel that pinches the ends of the studs when they tighten down, and it usually pulls or weakens some, if not all of the threads on the studs. Horrible chinese imports.

TRD offroad rims are designed to work with shank and washer lugs, using the correct stud. In my case the lugs I was using were just grabbing the ends of the studs, they stretched and cracked.

Cheater lugs is a Pac NW redneck term that means E/T shank or cone seat, dual purpose. They have a thin nose when used on a cone seat wheel that pinches the ends of the studs when they tighten down, and it usually pulls or weakens some, if not all of the threads on the studs. Horrible chinese imports.

I bet if you google Cheater lugs now, this thread will show up.

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I don't believe that the Gorilla E/T lugs really fit into that category. These are 60 degree conical seat, which is the same as the rims I have. With the extra shank, they actually take more turns to seat than my stock lug and wheels. They are grabbing plenty of thread.

The E/T style Lug Nuts are a great way to make sure you get enough thread bite after installing aftermarket wheels. The Gorrila Lug Nuts are very high quality, and we have never had an issue with them. Every case of a wheel falling off that I have seen, has been an issue of improper torque. The only reason I can think of that all the bolts could break off, is by someone installing an E/T nut that has too long of a shank on it, and the lug nut bottoms out against the hub before the wheel does.